This month, IBM is marking the 100th anniversary of its founding. During its first century, IBM has played a leading role in transforming business, science and society. The company says its history can be seen as a succession of key milestones - from investing in a research lab in the depths of the Great Depression, to developing the first hard disk drive that created the data storage industry, to working with the U.S. government to develop the Social Security system. It continued with such "big bets" as a radical new computing model, the System/360 mainframe; the invention of the UPC code; the invention of the IBM Personal Computer that launched the PC revolution; and the recent development of Watson, the computer that triumphed on the TV game show Jeopardy!. IBM will use its centennial to engage with business leaders, academia, clients and local communities in the 170 countries the company does business through a year-long initiative.
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